The Gauntlet was a Podracing course located on the barren moonOovo IV, and was one of three Podracing courses located on the planet, the others being Vengeance and Executioner. Like all of the Oovo IV Podraces, The Gauntlet sped through the maximum security prisonDesolation Alley, but was otherwise the only course on the moon that sped outside of the facility and onto the moon's rocky surface. The outside portions of the course were only weakly protected by the energy shield that covered the rest of the facility, which potentially put pilots in the path of oncoming meteors. The Gauntlet was specifically hosted during meteor showers, courtesy of the wardens, including race host Fenn Booda, who operated the prison.

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Gasgano, who was the crowd favorite during 32 BBY, navigates The Gauntlet

Located on the barren moonOovo IV, which orbited the gas giantOovo, The Gauntlet was one of three race courses built[1] in the Galactic Republic'sCorrectional Authority[5]prisonDesolation Alley that was used for the sport of Podracing. While the other two courses, Vengeance and Executioner, wove through the prison, The Gauntlet was the only track that sped outside of the well protected facilities and onto the moon's rocky surface.[3] The track began in an arena inside the prison, where all of the Oovo IV races began, and quickly sped into an opening stretch of track that all of the courses wove through. However, The Gauntlet split from the previous routes near a large gate, which pushed pilots through a straight, transparent hex tube that connected the shielded facilities to the moon's surface.[2] Although the surface was protected by a weak energy dome,[3] this area of the moon's surface was known to be pelted by an annual meteor shower that consisted of marble sized rocks smashing into the ground at high-velocity speeds. The prison's wardens, headed by the governing warden and race host Fenn Booda, primarily hosted The Gauntlet during these showers, to provide the competitors with an extra challenge.[1]

Once outside, pilots could take on of two paths to reach the next stage of the course. Pilots could either choose to head back inside of the protective facility, or they could veer to the right before reentering the facility and remain on an outside path. The outside path was considerably shorter, but it was not connected to the main course, forcing pilots to fly over unpaved terrain which greatly slowed down their pods. In addition, there were far more obstacles, such as rocky outcroppings, to avoid when remaining outside. For pilots who had gone back into the shielded facility, there were two paths that could be taken to reach the next stage. Pilots could either go up a ramp between two watch towers that would lead to a bridge, or pilots could simply avoid the ramp and continue straight through the concrete and metal path. All three roads met at the same spot, however, which was another, yet briefer, tenure outside of the protective facility. The second outside portion of the track wove around and under several large rock towers. The meteor shower, however, did not reach this portion of the track.[2]

Pilots who were able to navigate the rocks would then speed through a large, constructed tunnel that led into a small pit that veered right, where pilots entered another tunnel. After that, Podracers would, once again, fly outside for a brief flat stretch of uphill roadway before entering a circular, pit-like Cell Block D that spun back into Desolation Alley.[3] After a series of bridges and wall-hugging roads that sped past several prison facilities, pilots took on the last stretch of the course, which sped through the track's only anti-gravity tunnel. Like the anti-gravity tunnels on the other Oovo IV courses, this one had been stocked with chunks of ore,[2] courtesy of Booda and the other wardens.[1] Any pilots who had survived the tunnel were shot back out into the starting arena. A standard tournament race on the course would last for three consecutive laps.[2]